Ridley Scott's Napoleon Rides To A $33 Million Debut At The Thanksgiving Box Office
It looks like Apple Original Films has another potential hit on its hands. "Napoleon," Ridley Scott's historical epic led by Joaquin Phoenix, has grabbed a significant piece of the holiday weekend pie according to Variety. In fact, when it comes to the extended five-day Thanksgiving box office, "Napoleon" is currently neck-and-neck with the much more family-oriented Disney flick "Wish" in a race for second place ("The Hunger Games: Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes" held on to the top spot). "Wish" is set to potentially rake in $33 million this weekend, while the outlet says "Napoleon" could stay under the $35 million mark; The Hollywood Reporter has both films on track for $32-33 million dollar weekends.
If this year's biggest hits have taught us anything, it's that there's usually more than one reason a movie comes out on top, and "Napoleon" is no exception. It's a more adult option than the weekend's other hits, it has the feel of an awards season must-watch (despite middling reviews), and there's a legendary director behind the camera. Scott's biggest movies have often been able to get butts in seats — though that's certainly not always the case ("The Last Duel," we hardly knew ye). The filmmaker's movies have grossed a combined 4.3 billion dollars over the years, with adult-oriented hits like "Gladiator," "Prometheus," "Robin Hood," and "Hannibal" each making over $300 million at the box office. His biggest hit to date, "The Martian," was PG-13, but if any director has proven again and again that grown-ups love going to the movies too, it's Scott.
News flash: when streamers put movies in theaters, people go see them
The film's initial haul is nothing to sneeze at, but it's also still far from recouping its costs: Variety puts the movie's production budget alone at $200 million, making it seem likely that this film will go down in history as an overpriced passion project rather than an "Oppenheimer"-level historical drama hit. "Napoleon" faces off against an incredibly crowded theatrical slate this weekend, as there seem to be great viewing options every which way you turn. In addition to "Wish" and the "Hunger Games" prequel, IP-forward projects like animated sequel "Trolls Band Together" and superhero offering "The Marvels" are still in theaters, as are several intriguing smaller dramas like "Priscilla," "Saltburn," and "The Holdovers."
/Film's box office guru Ryan Scott predicted last week that "Napoleon" won't make back its budget, but like Apple's other big 2023 release, "Killers of the Flower Moon," it'll get a decent amount of theatrical exposure that will position it well for award season. Hopefully, Apple's recent theatrical release strategy holds strong no matter where "Napoleon" lands at the box office, given that movie-goers have been begging major streamers to give their original films proper theatrical releases for years. The film is currently playing in 3,500 theaters, including some IMAX options.
Variety predicts that "Napoleon" could end up around $73 million globally this week. Give it more time in theaters — and a potential Best Actor Oscar nomination bump and re-release down the line — and the film could end up looking like a good studio investment after all.